Pied Avocets Recurvirostra avosetta breeding in the same colonies on the German Wadden Sea are known to winter in France, the United Kingdom and The Netherlands ('the North') or about 1000 km further south west in Portugal, SW Spain and Morocco ('the South'). Using data of 537 individually colour ringed Avocets, the influence of age, sex and winter quarter on arrival date at three study sites was studied in N Germany, and the relationship between arrival date and breeding success was investigated. Avocets up to an age of four years arrived later than their older conspecifies. The arrival dates of first year Avocets coincided with hatching dates, which were the best opportunities to collect information on the quality of colonies. Avocets wintering in the North arrived significantly earlier at their breeding sites than Avocets wintering in the South. Females arrived later than males. In contrast to females and to males wintering in the North, males wintering in the South had individually consistent arrival dates between years. Arrival dates of males wintering in the North were significantly more strongly related to spring temperatures than arrival dates of males wintering in the South. Early arrival corresponded with a higher breeding success